O’Farrell & Chakrabarti Celebrate Women’s Natural Wisdom by Mary Lou Herlihy In a brilliant reimagining of Anne Hathaway’s life, Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Hamnet” conquers the stage. As Anne/Agnes, passionate Kemi-Bo Jacobs awakens deep emotions in young Will, played by dazzling Rory Alexander. Agnes’ mystical connections to nature and her fierce independence stir Will’s passion…
Neil Simon Tempers Jewish Immigrants’ Grief with Youthful Laughter by Mary Lou Herlihy Generations of bitterness cast a pall over the Kurnitz family. But the unexpected arrival of an estranged son with two teenage boys renews hope for these Jewish immigrants as they chase the “American Dream.” Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” is set…
Pearl Louise Gets Pulled into Parents’ Duplex Dream in 80s East Oakland by Mary Lou Herlihy “Pass the Nails and Shame the Devil,” is a love letter to Pearl Louise’s powerful mom. Small in stature and monumentally ambitious, her mom fights against poverty, drugs, and racism with HOPE and HARD WORK. As a kid,…
Eboni Booth Casts Light on Black Invisibility by Mary Lou Herlihy Crafty Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Eboni Booth humorously examines U.S. values that place profit over people. In the “mostly white” and seemingly idyllic suburb of Cranberry, outside Rochester N.Y., life feels precarious for a young black man with no family. With creeping gentrification…